jedi_bounty: Thanks! As for what happens next, well you shall see......

****

Worde stood in front of the line of peace brigade members, and he couldn't help but feel rather pleased with himself. It had taken him a while to come up with a plan to capture Kyp Durron, but he finnally had one!

And this was the first step of the plan....

He walked down the row, giving all five of them a stern, silent look in the eye before he spoke,"Now, everyone of you, this is a important mission! You must capture the jedi Kyp Durron," they all stared at him in disbelife, and some were obviously about to inject arguements, but he spoke first,"And remember, he must be captured alive. Our employer would be very displeased if you should fail, if you get my meaning." he said with a cold, secret smile.

No need to tell them that Worde would get in even more trouble then them if he failed, he would let them be afraid. Fear was a great motivator. But still, he wished he could at least give them more information, information on why the jedi must be alive, and who their employer was, but if he even thought about it, the Vong implant in his chest would send a sharp pain into his heart.He shuddered at the thought that that Vong thing was inside him, a part of him now, and there was nothing he could do about it.

They even controlled what he thought now. Somehow it made him feel like a puppet. They told him what to do, what to think, what to say, and when. It wasen't much of a life, but it was the only one he had. And he planned for it to last a long while.

Then his thoughts were interrupted by a strong hand on his sholder. He turned around quickly and snapped,"What?!"

And then stared in suprise at who the suprisingly strong grip belonged to. It was one of the members of the force he had sent to capture Durron. She was a small, petite red head, with a line of freckles across her nose. She would have appeared delicate, if it wasen't for the look of cool steel in her blue eyes, and her strong grip on his sholder.

She locked that steely blue gaze on him,"You do know that your sending most of us to our deaths don't you? To capture, any jedi alive is a challenge, but Durron?" her grip on his sholder tightend,"You should at least tell us why were doing this!"

"I'm sorry, I can't."he said in a cold voice, but he cringed inside, she had struck a nerve. Did she think he didn't know about the risk or something?

She apraised him cooly, and then dropped her hand to his sholder, and pulled the strap of her heavy sniper blaster farther up her sholder and shrugged,"I thought not." and turned on her heel and left, striding out the door, her boots clicking on the pavement, following the other identically clad peace brigade members in black jump suits out the door.

Worde watched her, suddenly wishing that he could at least tell her. He suddenly wanted her to understand more then anything. But then he laughed bitterly to himself. He was being stupid, why should he care what some skinny red head who worked for him thought?

But despite that, he found himself trying to remember her name. What was it? Bres something.... Oh yea, Bressal, Bressal Wanson.

*****

Bressal strode out of the peace brigade meeting room, feeling very disgusted with the captain, Worde whats his face. She thought sourly. He sent troops on a dangerous mission, without even telling them why,

In her apinion it was the mark of a corward. And she hated cowards. It was the one thing she'd resolved never to be. She'd been one once, and the price she had paid had been to great, in fact, she was still paying it to this day.

Then she shrugged off her heavy thoughts and headed for her ship. Even if this mission was crazy, it would definitly be a challenge. Each member of the team was taking their own ship, and heading out to their assigned portion of the galaxy, and they would comb it until they found Durron. And they would report to eachother, and to the captain, Worde, at the base every 24 hours.

This is a great story!
And I agree, more K/J please. I love the tension and the denying... If someone asked me this could go on like this for a while: kissing, denying, kissing, denying... you get the picture?

jedi-bounty: Thanks! Well, if I told you why Bressal hates Luke right now it would ruin a suprise later in the story, but you will find out. Lol, yeah, you do have a point, poor Luke always seems to get attacked by those annoying blast from the past doesn't he? Poor guy.

Shadow: Thanks! Lol, yea names are funny things, maybe she felt like she had to live up to the name? Actualy, I knew the meaning of the name when I picked it out.

Kyp sensed Jaina the moment she emerged from the tree, but he pretended not to. He didn't want her to know that he paid that much attention to her. She'd probably just get upset again.

So he simply went about the buisness of picking up their camp site, only speaking to Jaina when she was within feet of the dead camp fire.

At least that was his intention, but she spoke first.

"What do you think you are doing?!"she demanded.

He'd told himself to try not to antagonize her, but somehow his reply came out that way anyway,"What does it look like? I'm packing, we can't stay camped in the woods forever honey."

He could almost see her bristle at the term, honey, in his words. He smiled to himself. He hated to admit it, but he rather enjoyed getting her all riled up.

"I'm not your honey and those are my clothes your packing."

He shrugged,"Well, you were busy and apparently considered it below yourself to pack, so I did it."

With those words he shoved the last of the bags in his ship. He motioned twoard it with a grand motion,"You ready to get in sweetheart? Ladies first."

She ignored him.

"But I didn't ask to have my bags packed. What if I didn't want my bags packed?"

He raised a eyebrow in a incredolous expression,"You mean you wanted to leave all of your things here blowing in the breeze? You don't want to take them with you?" he reached for the bags inside,"If so, I can just as easily unpack them again."

She sighed in deep flusteration.
And then schooled her face into a patient expression. It wasen't very convincing.

"No, Kyp,"she said slowly, as if she thought he couldn't understand if she spoke faster,"Thats not what I meant. What I meant was, why are you putting them in the ship? Its to small, we can't both fit in there even if I did want to leave."

"Don't worry honey, we can both fit, it will just be a bit close." He took a step twoards her, and she backed up, and he steped closer again, and then suddenly she found herself with no farther to go. Her back was against the ship.

Kyp put a hand on either side of her head head, his hands against the cool metal of the ship. Suddenly he was very close indeed.

At first he was intending to tell her that they had to both fit in the ship, because there was no other way to get back, but he found himself at a sudden loss for words, and he simply stood there, looking at her. He noticed the smallest little details, her wide eyes, the smooth creamy skin of her cheek, her hair gently blowing by the slight breeze.

"Kyp,"said Jaina, in a slightly breathless voice,"step back."

But he ignored her and brought one hand down to smooth her windblown hair, and then in slid down to the soft skin of her cheek, and then slowly, without really meaning to, his face drifted closer to hers, and captured her lips with his, very gently, feather light, almost as if he were afraid she would vanish at his touch.

But then Jaina suprised him by not moving away, and starting to lean twaords him, her eyes were closed. Then his other hand slid down from her cheek, down her sholder, and stoped at the small of her back, bringing her gently closer.....

But suddenly Jaina's eyes snapped open, and she seemed to suddenly realized what she was doing, and jerked suddenly away, and stumbled backwards as Kyp realeased her. Then she brought her hand back and hit him in the face with her fist.

"I am not getting on that ship with you!"she said venamently,"I have a mission here, and I'm going to finish it. With or without you!" and she grabbed her bag from the ship, and set off over over the hill, away from the forest, away from the ship, and away from him.

He held a hand to his eye, wincing at the pain, ouch, he'd have a black eye later from that. Well, she was definitly not the damsel in distress type that would slap someone. She knew how to use her fist, he thought wryly.

But at the sight of her small figure heading over the hill away form him, she su

Yes, yes, yes! That was sweet... exactly how I love it! I'm happy for now.
Oh, and Jaina backed against a wall by Kyp is one of my favourite details in a fanfic. This will never get old...
More K/J mush and denial soon, please. I'm really addicted now and I'll be away for at least 10 days, starting on friday.
Btw, Princess, I really appreciate that you answer to our comments so directly. One feels appreciated by you that way.
Again, love this!!!

jedi_bounty: Thanks! Glad you like it. Lol, whats wrong with being a die hard romanitc? I'm one and proud of it! Don't worry, I like writing Anakin and Tahiri to, the next post will have Anakin and Tahiri in it.The next post is comming tomarrow!

padme-96: Thanks! Yes, Jaina is definitly in denile, but maybe Kyp will help her get out of it.

Shadow:Thank you! Yep, Jaina getting there all right, slowly but surely. But better late then never right?

SWMara: Thanks! I'm so happy that your enjoying this fic, I was afraid that everyone was a Jaina/Jag supporter, especially after dark journey. But I'm afraid I can't help but hope she'll she the light and go for Kyp instead of Jag. Yea, I like that part when Kyp had Jaina backed against the ship to, I just couldn't resist putting that in there, in reminded me of the scene with Han and Leia on the falcon. Of course I respond to each and every reader like I apreicate you! Thats because I do! But I'm really glad you apreaciate it. Your leaving on friday? Well, I'll have to be sure and get another Kyp and Jaina post up before you go then.

Trila:Thanks! Of course I don't mind your asking, I like Anakin and Tahiri to, they will be in the post tomarrow.

Well see, the only thing wrong with being a die hard romantic is that I gave myself a rep for being totally against all that mushy stuff. I'd rather not ruin that right now, *thoughtfully* but *sighs* I could be a die hard romantic here, on this board. Ya that's a good idea.

jez: Thanks! I really had fun with that part to, I couldn't resist putting the kiss in there, even though I'd orignally planned to delay it a bit.

SWMara: Thanks so much! I'm so glad I can now go and join fellow Kyp/Jaina supporters Well, I'll try and hurry a post, but if you don't get a chance to read it before you leave, it will still be here. Thanks, I'll have fun here, and I hope you have fun whereever you are going.

Shadow:Thanks, here's a post!

*****

Mara was stunned, Anakin had warned them, but of what? And how had Ben known? However it had happend, she had to tell Luke and Tahiri, maybe they could make more of the cryptic warning then she could.

She glanced at Anakin, surely he'd be okay just until she ran and got Luke and Tahiri? It wouldn't take long........

So she gathered up Ben in her arms, and left the room at a quick walk, glanceing again at Anakin as she left.

Perhaps she should hurry......

*****

He felt somehow exhausted, if that was possibly since he didn't really have a body. Perhaps a better term for it would be streched, thin, brittle, as if he was being pulled in to many directions at once.

When he had his breif contact, breif moment of being in his own body, he had had struggled to stay there, clinging with all his will.

The abiltiy to make contact, but not to stay was like a man dieing of thirst catching a raid drop on his tounge, it was only enough to make him remember what water tasted like, not enough to quench his thirst. It was like torture, it made him remember what it was like to be with those he loved, and then he was torn away again. It hurt more then he could have amaginend.

He looked around him, and saw many other specteral forms like himself, floating in nothingness. But they seemed to have no purpose no reason to hope, and except for when he was given the warning, they ignored him in eachother compltely.

And he was lonely! Alone. Even amongest others, he was alone. Because none of them, not even him, were truely there. They didn't belong with the dead, nor with the alive. They didn't belong anywhere. They were no where. They were alone, they were lost. Just like him. Lost.

At this moment he would have cried,so strong was his greif, but here, he didn't even have the ability to cry.

Not even that.

He had to get home!

And so with a desprit thought, he threw his mental and spritiual self against the barriers that kept him from home, tried with a feariousness that he didn't know he possessed. He couldn't stand being so alone!

Why couldn't he have just died? Why did he have to hand here, suspended in nothingness? He had to go home! Back to Tahiri.....

Then he hit the barriers, felt it strech, and for a moment he thought it would break,as he reached, felt a connection with something, like he was being pulled as well as pushed, felt a faint presence, he could have sworn it was Tahiri, but then it snapped back at him, sending his mind recoiling away, flinging it back to where it came.

Back to the nowhere between life and death, where ever that was. And back to Anakin's despair.

*****

Mara found Tahiri and Luke in the mess room, and Mara hurried over to Luke, would have called out to him, but Luke put a finger to his lips for silence. And then he pointed at one of the tables.

Mara stopped, slowing herself to a walk, and handing Ben to Luke. Her face softend when she saw where Luke had pointed, it was Tahiri. She had fallen asleep at the table, her glass still in her hand. Her head resting on the table, cushioned on one hand.

Poor Tahiri, she had gone through so much, and had refused to leave Anakin's side, she probably hadn't slept a wink till now, when she had pratically collapsed with exhaustion.

Perhaps they had better let her sleep a little bit longer, she would tell Luke the news before waking Tahiri. But first she gently went over and moved Tahiri's glass away from her hand, and the plate out of the way.

Just as she turned around to tell Luke, Tahiri, sat bolt up right,her eyes s